LSU athletics had an economic impact of $397.5 million on the four-parish Baton Rouge area in 2012, a study funded by the Tiger Athletic Foundation, a private, nonprofit that supports LSU and its athletic program.

The metro area is composed of East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Livingston and Ascension Parishes.

Loren Scott, a retired LSU economics professor and head of the consulting firm of Loren C. Scott & Associates Inc. in Baton Rouge, presented the study findings Thursday at the Moran Family Center for Athletics, which is near Tiger Stadium.

LSU athletics largest economic impact was in the arts, entertainment, and recreation categories, coming in at nearly $160 million. Food services and drinking establishments had nearly a $32 million impact on Baton Rouge metro, while real estate and rental and leasing firms, had about a $30 million impact.

There was a $24 million economic impact in transportation and warehousing industries, followed by a $20.5 million impact for finance and insurance firms.

These amounts are based on information from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The BEA collects data to learn of real gross domestic product estimates for the country and personal income figures for each state.

The nearly $400 million LSU athletic operations and fan spending generated in 2012 created $119.7 million in household earnings for residents living in the Baton Rouge metro area. Those household earnings represented 3,948 full-time jobs.

Scott says since the east and west side additions to Tiger Stadium opened in 2005, attendance has averaged more than 92,000 per game.

“On a typical night in Tiger Stadium in 2012 there were more people in attendance than the populations of 49 of the state’s 64 parishes,” Scott said. “On a typical Saturday night, there are about as many people present in Tiger Stadium as people who live in Lafourche Parish.”

An average fan at Tiger Stadium who lives outside of Baton Rouge metro spends about $161 in the state, with nearly $122 of that being spent in Baton Rouge metro.

“Over a 7-game home season, total spending by fans from outside the metro is $62.8 million in Louisiana, with $47.7 million of that spent within Baton Rouge metro,” the study says.

The LSU athletic department and TAF spent more $393 million on construction projects since 2002, Scott says. At the state level, construction spending generated $851 million in new sales, $289.5 million in new income earnings for state residents, and an average of 487 jobs a year since 2002.

The State Treasury added $20.3 million in taxes due to this construction spending, Scott said.